August 1871

Thursday, 3 August: In the Half-Penny Marvel Library may be found chapter eight of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Crown Jewel" in which Atlas and Lady Estelle, on the trail of the elusive jewel thief, investigate an abandoned mine, where they find Dr. Destiny and his faithful Max plotting. A great fight ensues, in which Dr. Destiny and Max escape via rocket up an air shaft, while setting off an explosion which buries Atlas and Lady Estelle. Meanwhile, the Weekly Companion contains chapter five of "Kid Rocket and the Vanishing Railway" in which the Great Leslie and the mysterious sword mistress, Alexandra, locate the secret mountian stronghold of Col. Scarlet the Air Pirate, and become embroiled in a fight with giant flaming snakes. At the end of the chapter Col. Scarlet (who is still holding Kid Rocket captive) escapes in his aeroschooner (again, Kid Rocket doesn't actually appear in this chapter).

Thursday, 10 August: The Weekly Companion publishes chapter six of "Kid Rocket and the Vanishing Railway" in which Kid Rocket awakens to find himself securely bound to an anchor inside Col Scarlet's aeroschnooner. An expository conversation between himself and his captor, Col. Scarlet the Air Pirate, recaps the previous chapter. The Colonel gloats that he has bested the Great Leslie and that "no one will rescue you." Meanwhile, The Great Leslie, the mysterious sword mistress, Alexandra, and their various companions, have emprovised two "land clippers" by mounting sales on a pair of wagons, and are pursuing the aeroschooner cross country. They encounter trouble in the form of a herd of buffalo. Most of the chapter details the harrowing encounter with the buffalo. While over in the pages of the Half-penny Marvel Library, in chapter nine of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Crown Jewel" the local Inspector Kemp is investigating the missing diamond, and finds the collapsed mine, where presumeably Atlas and Lady Estelle have been killed. Inspector Kemp follows clues, eventually tracking down Dr. Destiny and his assistant, Max, at a nearby villa. The Inspector is captured, and Dr. Destiny gloats. The final scene of the chapter is back at the mine, where a local milk maid is walking near the mine, and is frightened by strange sounds, and a several rocks that coming rolling out of the mine.

Thursday, 17 August: The Half-penny Marvel Library publishes chapter ten of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Crown Jewel" in which Atlas claws is way out of the mine, and with the help of the milk maid, carries the battered, unconscious form of Lady Estelle to the nearest village. The chapter includes a moving bedside scene in which a tearful Atlas prays for Estelle's recovery before vowing to bring Dr. Destiny to justice. Meanwhile, Dr. Destiny has tied Inpsector Kemp to a conveyer belt which is carrying him into the mouth of an incinerator. During his gloating, he admits that he is working with the World Anarchist League, and how they will use the fabulous wealth of the Crown Jewel to finance the overthrow of every legitimate government in Europe. In the Weekly Companion one finds chapter eight of "Kid Rocket and the Vanishing Railway" in which the Great Leslie and his companions find a cavalry fort under seige of an army made up of both fierce red indians and their ghostly minions. After a thrilling fight, the army is driven off, and Leslie finds that the inhabitants of several of the desserted towns and farms he has passed on the way have taken refuge here. A brief scene at the end of the chapter depicts Kid Rocket struggling futilely in his bonds, until a voice whispers from the shadows that help is nearby.

Thursday, 24 August: The Weekly Companion contains chapter nine of "Kid Rocket and the Vanishing Railway" in which the voice in the shadows is revealed to be Kid Rocket's assistant, Mort Hammer, who snuck aboard the schooner two chapters back while Leslie and the others were battling the flaming snakes. He is just beginning to untie Kid Rocket when they are discovered by Col. Scarlet. Meanwhile, back at the fort, The Great Leslie has organized a mounted assault force from among the remaining settlers and cavalry officers, as scouts have reported that Col Scarlet's aeroschooner has been witnessed coming and going from the vicinity of a nearby mountain called Saint Helen. The force encounters stiff resistance in the form of more fierce red indians (now apparently armed with Confederate rifles). The Half-Penny Marvel Library, on the other hand, publishes the tenth chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Crown Jewel," which picks up where the previous chapter left off, as Dr Destiny exits the incinerator chamber to plot with the gang of anarchists. Atlas O'Flaherty comes crashing through a window and an epic battle ensues. Meanwhile, Inspector Kemp is moving inexoribly toward the flaming mouth of the incinerator.

Thursday, 31 August: The Weekly Companion publishes the tenth and final chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Vanishing Railway" picks up in the middle of the battle between Leslie's assault force and the red indians. Meanwhile, somewhere above them in Col. Scarlet's aeroschooner, the colonel is preparing to drop Kid Rocket and Mort Hammer to their deaths, when Kid Rocket gets free of his bonds and engages in a fierce gun battle with the colonel and his soldiers. Below, Leslie's group gets past the savages and confronts two flaming gaints who are under the control of an witch doctor. The Great Leslie and the mysterious sword mistress Alexandra engage in battle with the giants, while the various mystically oriented members of the support group, attempt to break the magickal hold of the witch doctor. Part way through the battle, Leslie tries to blast the giants off the side of the mountain with one of Kid Rocket's unfinished combat rockets, and winds up riding the rocket into the sky, where he crashes through the side of the aeroschooner just in time to save Kid Rocket. Now engulfed in flames, the aeroschooner seems sure to crash. Kid Rocket, Leslie, and Mort Hammer improvise a "balloon rocket" and make good their escape. Moments later, the aeroschooner crashes into the boiling mouth of the volcano, and all the gunpowder and dynamite inside the schooner create gigantic explosion which seals the volcano. As the volcano is the source of the witch doctor's power, the giants crumble into enormous piles of ash, the ghost warriors vanish, and the fierce red indians lose their will to fight, and flee into the wilderness. Somewhat less complicated is the eleventh chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Crown Jewel" over in the Half-penny Marvel Library, where Max's attempt to snag Atlas with a chain attached to the same conveyor belt which is about to carry Inspector Kemp to his fiery doom results in Atlas tearing about the entire mechanism, freeing the Inspector. While Atlas, now with the help of the Inspector, continue to battle the anarchists, Dr. Destiny and Max make their escape in a rocket-powered railcar, leaving Atlas to watch, helpless, as they disappear down the long, winding railway toward the distant port city in the final scene.

September 1871

Thursday, 7 September: The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes the exciting twelfth chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Crown Jewel" in which Dr. Destiny and Max have nearly made good their escape, fleeing down a long, winding railway to a port city, when they hear a forboding rumbing sound. Suddenly, over the ridge appears an old mill water wheel, bouncing over the contryside, with Atlas O'Flaherty sprinting inside. Atlas reaches the bottom of the mountainside first, and begins battling Dr Destiny's other minions who were waiting at the end of the railway. Dr. Destiny attempts to stop his rocket railcar, and does, at the last moment, manage to detach the main rocket engine, which flies off in wild loops, with Max somehow tangled up in the coupling. Destiny and the railcar crash into the station, where Atlas knocks him out. By the time Inspector Kemp reachs the town, Atlas has defeated all the anarchists, removed the crown jewel from it's hiding place inside Dr Destiny's cane, and tied everyone up. The thrill of victory is quickly squelched as word reaches them that Lady Estelle has succumbed to her wounds. Atlas shakes off all offers of sympathy or talk of reward and boards a ship bound for Ireland, not wishing to tarnish his memories of the most "noble lady he ever knew" by attending a funeral and gazing on her lifeless features.

Thursday, 14 September: The Weekly Companion's cover is emblazoned with the title of a new serial, "Gentleman Jimmy versus the Zephyr Bandit!" Inside the magazine one finds Chapter 1: in which Gentleman Jimmy Maws is attending an art exhibit when a priceless painting is discovered missing. Jimmy recalls seeing a strange structure on the roof of the building and convinces Inspector McSweeney to investigate said roof. They find evidence of some sort of aerial vehicle having been moored there recently. Various clues lead them to a Battersea warehouse, where Jimmy and the Inspector attempt to arrest a gang of bandits, who put up a terrific fight while their leader escapes in his aerocarriage. Meanwhile, over in the Half-Penny Marvel Library, a short story entitled "Billy Callahan and the Stowaway Theif" in which Billy Callahan, while trying to allow his guardian, Atlas O'Flaherty, privacy to grieve while they cross the North Sea, discovers a mystery of his own on the ship they are riding to Ireland. Billy eventually captures the culprit: a monkey that had been trained to steal valuables.

Thursday, 21 September: The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes chapter one of "Inspector Kemp and the Royal Heir" in which a princess's right to inherit the family estate from her elderly grandmother is contested by a cousin--who had until now been believed killed in war year ago. Meanwhile, in the Weekly Companion one finds chapter two of "Gentleman Jimmy versus the Zephyr Bandit!" where Gentleman Jimmy consults with his uncle, Major Stanley, the big game hunter, in an attempt to set a trap for the Zephyr Bandit, since Insp. McSweeney thinks he knows where the theif will strike next. They have guessed correctly, but do not get the trap set up quite in time, and the thief escapes, though not before Major Stanley damages the aerocarriage with some well-placed shots.

Thursday, 28 September: The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes chapter two of "Inspector Kemp and the Royal Heir" in which, while investigating the claims of the cousin who is contesting the princess' right to inherit, discovers that the cousin is in cahoots with the notorious Count Ruffin. Unforunately, the Count doesn't want this information known, so he takes the Inspector prisoner and plots how best to kill him so is body will never be found. Meanwhile, the Weekly Companion publishes the third chapter of "Gentleman Jimmy and the Zephyr Bandit!" in which Gentleman Jimmy, Major Stanley, and Insp. McSweeney scour the countryside south of the city looking for the hideout of the Zephyr Bandit. They encounter a troup of travelling tinkers, and Jimmy winds up having to challenge their leader, One-punch O'Neill, to a boxing match.

October 1871

Thursday, 5 October: The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes the conclusion of "Inspector Kemp and the Royal Heir" in which the Inspector escapes his bonds, though is unable to capture Count Rufin immediately, however, with the assistance of the princess, he sets a trap for the Count and the false heir. The blackguards are captured, the heir is proven to be a former servant of the long dead prince, and the princess' inheritance is assured. At the end of the story, the Inspector receives a telegram. The contents of the telegram are not revealed to the reader, but it is clear that the news is greatly troubling to the Inspector. While over in the pages of the Weekly Companion, one finds the fourth exciting chapter of "Gentleman Jimmy and the Zephyr Bandit," in which, having fought One-punch O'Neil to a draw, Gentleman Jimmy is able to recruit the tinkers' help in searching for the hideout of the Zephyr Bandit. This leads them to the country estate of Sir Gregory Peavey, bart., an eccentric naturalist famed for his collection of rare shellfish. Being an old friend of Major Stanley, the loonie baronet invites Jimmy's party to tea, where they learn that among the eccentric collection of house guests is the Prince Wilhelm von Keeble, heir to the throne of a small north European principality. Gentleman Jimmy, Insp. McSweeney, and Major Stanley have several amusing misadventures on the estate until it is discovered, as the guests are preparing to dress for dinner, that all of the valuables that had been locked in the silver pantry--which includes the priceless jewels of the Crown Princess, have been stolen.

Thursday, 12 October: The cover of the Half-Penny Marvel Library features a drawing of Atlas O'Flaherty standing heroically in the prow of a ship, under the title "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer." Inside one finds the first thrilling chapter in which Atlas is on an ocean voyage. One foggy night, a strange sailing ship comes upon the vessel and a gang of brigands, dressed like privateers of the Napoleonic Era, attack the ship. The pirates are driven off, due in no small part to Atlas' fighting prowess. Yet when Atlas tries to follow the pirates onto their ship, he passes through the ship to fall into the ocean as if the sailing ship were a mere phantasm. The pirates and their ship vanish. Once back aboard the passenger ship, Atlas discovers that his ward, Billy Callahan, is missing! Meanwhile, the Weekly Companion publishes chapter five of "Gentleman Jimmy and the Zephyr Bandit." Gentleman Jimmy, Insp. McSweeney, and Major Stanley discover on the roof of the country home of eccentric naturalist Sir Gregory Peavey evidence that the Zephyr Bandit's aerocarriage was temporarily moored there. There is also evidence of the theives' break-in from the roof and creeping to the lower floors to steal the valuable gems. These clues (and others from last chapter) leads Gentleman Jimmy's party to a farm some miles away, where they discover the Bandit and his gang. They become embroiled in a fight, but once again the Bandit escapes in his areocarriage during the fracas.

Thursday, 19 October: In the Weekly Companion one finds the final chapter of "Gentlemen Jimmy and the Zephyr Bandit" in which after defeating the Bandit's gang, Gentleman Jimmy, Insp. McSweeney, and Major Stanley deduce from various clues that the Zephyr Bandit next intends to kidnap Crown Prince Wilhelm. They race to Sir Gregory Peavey's estate, but do not arrive in time to prevent the abduction, and the aerocarriage is sailing away once more. Fortunately the eccentric baronet is also something of an inventor, and soon they are racing across the moors in his steam carriage. They discover catch up to the Zephyr Bandit at a ruined manor house, where the arrive just in time to prevent the murder of the Crown Prince. One final titanic battle is fought, at the end of which the Bandit is unmasked and revealed to be--the Crown Prince's illegitimate half-brother, who could easily pass as his twin! Meanwhile, in the Half-penny Marvel Library, chapter two of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer" begins with Atlas failing to convince the ship's captain to search the waters for the phantom pirate vessel. The ship puts in at port, and Atlas beings trying to hire a boat with which to search for his ward, Billy Callahan. Atlas is jumped by a group of ruffians, who he defeats with ease, before finally finding a cousin, Eamon O'Malley, who happens to own a fishing boat.

Thursday, 26 October, 1871: The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes the third chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer," in which Atlas and his cousin, Eamon O'Malley, sail out into the Irish Sea in search of the phantom pirate ship. As they reach the location where the pirate attack occured, the fishing boat is attacked by a sea serpent! Atlas wrestles the serpent while the crew of the vessel attacks with other weapons. Just as Atlas is succeeds in tying a rope around the sea serpent's neck, the creature manages to smash the fishing boat to flinders. Meanwhile, over in the Weekly Companion, there is an advertisement for an upcoming serial, "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine."

November 1871

Thursday, 2 November: The Half-Penny Marvel Library features chapter four of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer" in which the action picks up with Atlas, still gripping the rope he has tied to the serpent's neck. He manages also to grab a piece of wreckage to which his couson, Eamon O'Malley, is clinging, and the two of them are dragged many leagues across the sea before the sea serpent dives. Atlas tries to hold on, but eventually must let go and return to the surface. Eamon, meanwhile, has spotted an unfamiliar island on the horizon. They paddle the chunk of wreckage to the island. While they are gathering wood for a fire, they are attacked by a wild boar. Seamus is wounded, but manages to kill the boar. He and Eamon are just setting down to dinner when a strange sailor wanders up to their campfire. The sailor appears to be mad, though his conversation hints that he may be familiar with the phantom pirate ship. Before they get much sense out of him, the sailor vanishes before their eyes. Meanwhile, the Weekly Companion publishes the first chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," in which Kid Rocket, Mort Hammery, the Great Leslie, and a few other companions travel to the Arizona territory to investigate reports of a ghosts disrupting a mining operation. No sooner, it seems, do they arrive at their destination, then they become involved in a skirmish between the U.S. Cavalry and the local renegade red indians.

Thursday, 9 November: In the Half-Penny Marvel Library one finds the fifth chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer." Atlas and Eamon search the island and discover a home (or small castle) built atop one hill. They are welcomed as guests of the mistress of the house, Lady Leila, a voluptuous redheaded widow who claims to know nothing of the phantom pirates, but as she is a spiritualist of not inconsiderable talent, agrees to help them in their search. A seance reveals nothing, but in the middle of the night Atlas is awaked by the distant, and familiar cries of Billy Callahan. He follows the sound out of the keep and discovers a band of pirates in a small lagoon nearby. Atlas tries to free Billy, and discovers that the pirates are all hideously powerful creatures from beyond the grave. Meanwhile, the Weekly Companion publishes chapter two of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," in which Kid Rocket and the Great Leslie interview one of the former mine workers, then go to explore the mine, where they hear strange noises most of which seem to be dessert animals, until they hear a train. They follow the sounds to another, older mine entrance deeper in the canyon, where they see a locomotive zooming out of the mine at a speed no locomotive has ever before achieved, and before they can reach the locomotive it vanishes before their eyes. They follow the tracks back into the mine shaft until the old rails end at a cave in.

Thursday, 16 November: Chapter six of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer" is published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library. Though he fights bravely, Atlas is no match for the undead pirate horde. He regains consciousness chained in an underground chamber. He breaks free and follows the sound of voices, to discover that the leader of the pirate horde is meeting with none other than Lady Leila. Atlas confronts them, and learns that Lady Leila is a powerful sorceress. A second battle with the pirate horde is going no better than the earlier one, when Lady Leila completes a spell, transforming Billy Callahan into a small pig, and threatening to do far worse. The pig, however, escapes and flees the cave. Atlas chases after his transmorgrified ward, not sure how he is to defeat the evil sorceress. In the third exciting chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," published in the Weekly Companion, the Great Leslie and Kid Rocket and their associates, unable to find the original of the phantom train, search the canyon for an alternate entrance to the mine. They find a cave opening and are just beginning to explore it when they realize they have been surrounded by red indians. Kid Rocket whips out his rocket gun, ready to fight, but Great Leslie stops him and attempts to engage the savages in conversation, as he and two of their companions are conversant in a number of native languages. They accompany the warriors back to a camp, where they are greeted by none other than Kid Rocket's old friend, Little Running Deer, who had returned to his people (apparently sometime between "Kid Rocket in New York" and "Kid Rocket and the Vanishing Railway") and is now betrothed to the daughter of the tribal chief. Little Running Deer introduces them to the Chief and the elders, who tell a frightening tale of the evil spirits that have long been associated with the canyon.

Thursday, 23 November: The Weekly Companion publishes the fourth chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," in which Little Running Deer leads Kid Rocket, the Great Leslie, and their companions to a location where they can spy on the renegade tribe that has come to the region recently and caused much trouble. They have just set up their watching post when a gang of gunslingers led by Ricochet Robinson get the drop on them. A terrific gun battle erupts, which brings the attention of the nearby renegades. The chapter ends with Kid Rocket and companions caught between the gunslingers and the renegade red indians. While over in the Half-Penny Marvel Library one finds chapter seven of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer," in which Atlas chases Billy Callahan (who has been transformed into a small pig) across the island. Billy is nearly killed by a beast which Atlas first thinks is a bear, but as he tries to save his ward from the creature, realizes it is an unnatural creature which combines the features of a wolf, a badger, and a lion. Atlas wrestles the creature into submission, though he is nearly killed in the process. As he is losing consciousness, he hears a voice that sounds like an elderly woman.

Thursday, 30 November: In the Weekly Companion one finds "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," chapter five, which picks up in the middle of the three-way battle. While Kid Rocket and his companions hold off both Ricochet Robinson's gang and the renegade red indians, the Great Leslie and Mort Hammer rig up a smoke bomb, which allows the heroes to beat a hasty retreat and regroup. Before they can sort out why both the gunslingers and the renegades have both been drawn to the valley, they see the phantom locomotive appear in a flash of lightning before zooming into the mine. They investigate the tunnel once more, but before they can learn anything they succumb to a strange gas and all lose consciousness. And in the Half-Penny Marvel Library there is the eighth chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer," in which Atlas regains consciousness inside the hut of an elderly blind woman. The woman explains that she has been trapped on this island for over fifty years, imprisoned by the evil sorceress, Lady Leila. Since Atlas defeated the creature that had been set to watch her, she believes he can defeat Lady Leila and break the curse on the island. She sends him to a lagoon on the far side of the island, to recover the bones of the phantom buccaneer--if they are given a Christian burial, the phantoms will be dispelled. Atlas sets out for the lagoon, where he sees, beneath the water, what appears to be many bones, but the lagoon is inhabited by a sea serpent. The chapter ends in the middle of the stupendous fight between Atlas and the serpent.

December 1871

Thursday, 7 December: The ninth chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer" is published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library. The action picks up in the middle of Atlas's battle with the sea serpent. After Atlas defeats the creature, he begins carrying the bones up onto the shore. He has gotten half the bones out of the water when the spectral pirate ship sails into the lagoon. Atlas is prepared the battle them again, but the pirate captain reveals that they are holding Eamon O'Malley hostage. The pirate claims that if their bones are laid to rest, that they will drag Eamon to the pits of Hades with them. The captain offers Atlas a trade: all the bones in the lagoon for Eamon. Meanwhile, in the Weekly Companion is found the sixth chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine" in which Kid Rocket and his companions awaken to find themselves chained up deep within the mine, prisoners of Major Edwin R. Sterling, former officer of the New York First Rocket Brigade (the same unit Kid Rocket served in during the Civil War) and heir to the Sterling Chemical Company. Sterling interrogates Kid Rocket and the Great Leslie at some length. From his questions they deduce that Sterling is involved in an elaborate scheme to gain control of valuable mineral rights. The heroes attempt an escape, but become embroiled in another gunfight. Sterling and his men are armed with rocket guns nearly identical to Kid Rocket's. The chapter ends as the mine tunnel collapses on them all.

Thursday, 14 December: In the Half-Penny Marvel Library, "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer" chapter ten picks up in the middle of negotiations between Atlas and the captain of the phantom pirates. Atlas strikes a deal with the captain of the phantom pirate ship, and loads the bones into the ship as his cousin is set free. However, though Atlas had extracted a promise that the pirates would not harm any of them, he didn't make them promise to let him go free as well. As the pirates take Atlas captive, where he will "be doomed for eternity with us," Atlas calls out to Eamon O'Malley on the shore to go to the home of the old wise woman. Eamon does so. The old woman is troubled by the news, but says they may yet defeat Lady Leila, yet. If Eamon can sneak into Lady Leila's castle while the pirates are busy, and retrieve a magic amulet. While in the Weekly Companion "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine" chapter seven begins with Little Running Deer spying on the camp of Richocet Robinson's gang, when another member of his tribe brings him news of an explosion heard underground back at the canyon. Before Little Running Deer can investigate the mine, he gets caught in a battle between the renegade tribe and cavalry patrol. Little Running Deer helps the cavalry men, and attempts to enlist their aid to investigate the mine collapse, but the officer in charge insists on taking him back to the fort for questioning. At the camp, the commander has Little Running Deer thrown into the stockade..

Thursday, 21 December: In the Half-Penny Marvel Library one finds the spine-tingling tale "Dr Wilson and the Christmas Phantoms" by Mr Nigel Graham, which proports to be the true telling of the events of the previous Christmas which resulted in the former American Outlaw being investigated for the mysterious death of a writer. The story also bears the unusual distinction of claiming to be authorized by Dr Jebediah Wilson. Also in the issue is found the eleventh chapter of "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer," in which Eamon, the elderly blind woman, and Billy Callahan (who was turned into a pig several chapters earlier) sneaking into the small castle owned by the evil sorceress, Lady Leila. They have almost reached Leila's library when they are discovered by a the sorceress and a group of her servants. Meanwhile, Atlas is being held prison, chained and caged on the phantom pirate ship. In the course of taunting Atlas, the pirate captain reveals that he has separated his own bones from those of the other undead pirates, and locked them in a chest in his cabin. After the captain leaves, Atlas breaks his chains and bends the bars of his cage. He quickly finds the chest full of bones and, after reciting the Lord's Prayer over them, he pushes the chest out of the chest with a hearty, "We commend his remains to the deep!" An unearthly wail rises up from the crew outside the cabin, and the ship begins shaking so violently, it begins to fall apart all around Atlas. The Weekly Companion contains "The Ghost of Arnsworth Hall," in which Gentleman Jimmy and his friend Inspector McSweeny investigate mysterious goings on at a country estate recently purchased by Jimmy's uncle, Major Stanley. The magazine also includes the eighth chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," which begins with the members of Ricochet Robinson's gang checking the collapsed mine for signs of survivors, when a strange rumble is followed by a small explosion and the appearance of Kid Rocket, the Great Leslie, and their companions. They quickly defeat the bandits (while explaining how they rigged up a rocket drill to escape), meanwhile, Little Running Deer escapes the stockade with the help of his brethrothed, Blessed Rain. By the time they reach the collapsed mine, Kid Rocket and the others are gone and several cavalry men are trying to dig out the mine. When Major Sterling is found trying to dig his way out, Little Running Deer and Blessed Rain overhear a conversation between the major the the cavalry commander indicating that they are in cahoots.

Thursday, 28 December: In chapter nine of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," published in the Weekly Companion, Kid Rocket, the Great Leslie, and their companions set a trap for the remainder of Ricochet Robinson's gang. Capturing the bandits, they take their prisoners to the cavalry fort. They have almost reached their destination when Little Running Deer finds them, and warns them that the cavalry commander is in on Sterling's plot. Before they can formulate a plan, they discover that they are surrounded by cavalrymen and Major Sterling. In the exciting conclusion to "Atlas O'Flaherty and the Phantom Buccaneer" published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library, Eamon, the blind elderly woman, and Billy Calahan (still transformed into a pig) are cornered by the evil sorceress, Lady Leila, and her servants. Lady Leila orders her servants to take the others prisoner. The elderly blind woman calls out an incantation. Lady Leila begins to laugh, explaining that the old woman doesn't have the power to challenge her--she is cut short when Billy Callahan transforms before her eyes into a 300 pound boar, and charges them. Meanwhile, as the phantom pirate ship is shaking itself to flinders, Atlas kicks a hole in the bulkhead and leaps from the captain's quarters into the ocean and begins swimming toward shore. He feels ghostly hands grasping at him, trying to pull him underwater. Atlas begins reciting the Lord's Prayer. Back at the castle, the boar easily bowls over the servants, goring one, tramping another, and so on, while Lady Leila tries to flee. Eamon picks up a pike dropped by one of the servants and throws it at the door Leila is running toward, jamming the door closed. As the boar bears down on her, Leila shouts out an incantation. The boar is suddenly transformed back into Billy just as he crashes into the sorceress, knocking her to the ground. Before she can speak another incantation, he grabs the amulet from round her neck and throws it to the elderly blind woman. When she catches it, a change starts to come over both she and Lady Leila. The evil sorceress rapidly ages, her eyes clouding over. The elderly woman, on the other hand, becomes younger, until she becomes a voluptuous redhaired maiden. She reveals that she is Lady Leila's daughter, and that the evil sorceress had stolen her youth. The chapter ends with Eamon, Billy, and the good sorceress meeting Atlas on the beach. Atlas explains how he defeated the phantoms: "You said they needed a Christian burial, but didn't say that it couldn't be a burial at sea."

January 1872

Thursday, 4 January: The Weekly Companion publishes the tenth chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," finds Kid Rocket, the Great Leslie, and their companions about to become the prisoners of Major Sterling and the corrupt cavalry commander. While Leslie attempts to reason with the cavalry men, Blessed Rain (who had slipped away before the villains sprung their trap) sneaks up behind one of the bad guys, knocks him out, and in possession of one of the rocket guns, begins firing at the other villians from behind. Kid Rocket and the others spring into action, but before Major Sterling escapes by using a rocket to send his buck board zooming away. Kid Rocket pauses long enough to put a badly wounded horse out of its misery, which allows the Major to escape. The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes chapter one of "The Wizard of Ballistics" which tells the tale of how Dr Jeffers, friend of Atlas O'Flaherty, became known by his colorful nom de geur. The story is framed by a scene of Atlas O'Flaherty, Billy Callahan, and Eamon O'Malley sitting around a fire on the shores of the island they have been shipwrecked upon.

Thursday, 11 January: Chapter two of "The Wizard of Ballistics" is published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library. In the Weekly Companion one finds the eleventh chapter of "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," Kid Rocket and the others return to their camp, to take possession of their supplies. Since they don't know who to trust, they decide not to return to the town of Happy Jack or the fort, and instead make their way to the telegraph lines at a spot several miles from town which has an old trading post nearby. While Leslie rigs up a device to send a telegram for aid, Mort Hammer and Kid Rocket set to work assembling a new rocket. Meanwhile, Little Running Deer helps the Great Sulvini set up a mystical ritual to locate Major Sterling. They complete the ritual without quite enough time to warn the others that Sterling and the remaining cavalry men have surrounded the trading post!

Thursday, 18 January: The Half-Penny Marvel Library includes chapter three of "The Wizard of Ballistics." The exciting conclusion to "Kid Rocket and the Haunted Mine," published in the Weekly Companion, begins from the point of view of the villain, Major Sterling, as he and the corrupt cavalrymen close in on the abandoned trading post where the Great Leslie and Kid Rocket and their companions are holed up. Suddenly, the heroes open fire on the villains, firing out of windows in a blinding dazzling array of rockets and guns. As Sterling and his gang return fire, the roof of the trading post explodes, and the building is engulfed in fire. Sterling orders his men closer, so they can get clear shots at any survivors who run out of the trade post. As they come out of cover, they find themselves under fire from behind. The explosion and the weapons fire from inside the trading post was an elaborate distraction to cover for the heroes exiting the building, each equipped with the Wilson Improved Instant Ascender (pat. pending) which allowed the heroes to surround the surrounding bad guys. The final scene finds the heroes back at the fort, where General Sturdy, an old friend of Leslie's family, has taken command. Major Sterling, who has been greviously injured, will be transported to Prescott, the Territorial Capital, to face charges in federal court. The mysterious appearing and disappearing train (with its accompanying flashes of lightning and fire) is explained as an elaborate firework designed by Major Sterling to frighten people away from his illicit mining operation.

Thursday, 25 January: Chapter four of "The Wizard of Ballistics" is published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library.

February 1872

Thursday, 1 February: "The Wizard of Ballistics," chapter five, published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library, reaches the point when Dr Jeffers first met Atlas O'Flaherty.

Thursday, 8 February: In the Half-Penny Marvel Library, in the exciting conclusion to "The Wizard of Ballistics" Dr Jeffers and Atlas join forces for the first time to bring a smuggling ring that was a front for an anarchist plot to justice. The story ends with Atlas, Billy, and Eamon on the island, with a closing comment that Eamon believes they will have finished the raft in another couple of days.

Thursday, 22 February: The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes chapter one of a new serial starring Lt Howarth, "Death on the German Sea," in which Lt Howarth's ship is dispatched to the Northumberland coast to investigate a series of shipwrecks.

Thursday, 29 February: Chapter two of "Death on the German Sea" is published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library, in which Lt Howarth finds proof that the shipwrecks are being caused by a mysterious submersible.

March 1872

Thursday, 7 March: Chapter three of "Death on the German Sea" is published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library.

Thursday, 14 March: The Half-Penny Marvel Library publishes chapter four of "Death on the German Sea" in which Dr Jeffers, the Wizard of Ballistics, joins Lt Howarth in the search for the mysterious submersible.

Thursday, 21 March: The fifth chapter of "Death on the German Sea" starring Lt Howarth and Dr Jeffers is published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library.

Thursday, 28 March: In the exciting conclusion of "Death on the German Sea," published in the Half-Penny Marvel Library, Lt Howarth and Dr Jeffers capture the mad Prussian inventor and his submersible.

April 1872

Thursday, 4 April: The cover of the Half-Penny Marvel Library features a picture of Atlas O'Flaherty, Eamon O'Malley, and Billy Callahan on a raft in the middle of the ocean above the title: "Atlas Adrift! The castaways attempt a dangerous sea crossing in the new serial adventure!"

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Contents this page copyright 2005 by Gene Breshears. All Rights Reserved.